Review: ANOTHER CASTLE #1

ANOTHER CASTLE #1 Written by Andrew Wheeler Art by Paulina Ganucheau Published by Oni Press Release date: March 2, 2016

With Another Castle #1, Andrew Wheeler and Paulina Ganucheau have given me a sitcom within a fairy tale that I want to binge watch for 37 hours straight. You think I’m joking, I promise you I’m not. Another Castle has filled a gap, that I wasn’t even aware existed until I read it, and I am so happy that it’s a thing that exists in the world. It’s funny, and it feels like something new and it’s pretty. Really, really pretty.

Honestly, Ganucheau has outdone herself with regards to both the inks and the colours. Her character designs show diversity while adhering to the fairy tale tropes we love, such as Misty’s princess hair and Lord Badlug’s excellent skull face/abs villain aesthetic. Not to mention that everybody in Beldora has fantastic eyebrows.

Ganucheau has, through the inclusion of lots of little details that populate the backgrounds of the panels, created a world that is both rich and entirely charming. Seriously, look out for Misty’s awfully Sailor Moon-y perfume diffuser and Lord Badlug’s dedication to his very over the top skull decor.

With playful dialogue and his tongue firmly in his cheek, Wheeler has brought a lot of energy to the characters and the story. It’s difficult to dislike any of the characters, even the villains who are wonderfully realised. His thoughts on damsels in distress is very clear, as are his ideas surrounding the very Disneyfied ideal of what a princess should and shouldn’t be.

As a result, Wheeler has blessed us with a princess who is brave, and fearless, but also feminine. This is a growing trend within media, and I could not be happier to see that femininity is no longer being treated as a sign of weakness, or a symbol that a woman is less than, but merely a facet of someone’s personality that has no bearing on their ability to kick someones ass.

Fun and fresh, Another Castle #1 is well deserving of this and any other praise the book generates. While it will undoubtedly appeal to fans of books like Zodiac Starforce and Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat, I would recommend taking a peek regardless of whether or not fairy tales and fantasy are what you would usually call your thing. It really is that good. With that said, I just have one question: is it too soon for me to start shipping Misty and Gorga?